Ajoy Mehta Appointed As New Chief Secretary; BMC Gets New Chief

MUMBAI: In a day of a major bureaucratic reshuffle in Maharashtra, senior bureaucrat and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Ajoy Mehta has been appointed as the new chief secretary of the state. Chief Minister Devendra Fadvanis' Additional Chief Secretary Praveen Pardeshi will replace Ajoy Mehta as the BMC chief.

Mehta, a 1984-batch IAS officer, was appointed after U P S Madan has opted for voluntary retirement after serving the post for a mere 44 days, the shortest period for any CS.

Mehta has been holding the position of civic chief since 2015. He leaves the post after having the reputation as the Mumbai Municipality's longest-serving commissioner. Ajoy Mehta has four months remaining in his service as he will retire in September.

Praveen Pardeshi, a 1985-batch IAS Officer, will take charge as the BMC Commissioner on Monday. Pardeshi has been an integral part of CM Fadnavis' bureaucratic team since 2014. Pardeshi was initially appointed as the principal secretary when Fadnavis took office in 2014. Later, he became the additional chief secretary. He has served earlier in various posts, including the Revenue and Forest departments.